


Winsome - Soup Kitchen

by cutsycat



Series: Dictionary.Com Word of the Day Drabbles [1378]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 15:57:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20876843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/pseuds/cutsycat
Summary: When Shannon and Kelly die, Gibbs finds out about his wife's last request. It forever changes his life.





	Winsome - Soup Kitchen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Red_Pink_Dots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Pink_Dots/gifts).
  * In response to a prompt by [Red_Pink_Dots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Pink_Dots/pseuds/Red_Pink_Dots) in the [cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2018](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2018) collection. 

> Another dictionary.com word of the day drabble. This time from 02/07/2003 for the word [winsome](http://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/2003/02/07/winsome).
> 
> winsome[ win-suh m ]  
adjective  
sweetly or innocently charming; winning; engaging:  
a winsome smile.
> 
> This was requested by my amazing friend, Red_Pink_Dots as part of my 2018 prompt challenge [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2018/profile). The 2018 Prompts are closed, however, you can still sign up for the 2019 Prompts [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). More instructions are below if you wish to sign up. 
> 
> **Prompt:**
> 
> Based on a song from Elton John, Donner pour Donner (giving for giving) [ https://youtu.be/tn76EFtQlhk"](https://youtu.be/tn76EFtQlhk)
> 
> Here is the link for the English translated lyrics : [ http://lyricstranslate.com/en/donner-pour-donner-giving-giving.htm"](http://lyricstranslate.com/en/donner-pour-donner-giving-giving.html)
> 
> Gibbs think to himself that  
Giving for giving  
It's the only way to live  
It's the only way to love
> 
> **End Prompt**
> 
> I had hoped to make this longer, but I hope she will enjoy it, anyway.

Gibbs’ life changed drastically when he found out his wife and child died. He’d been just your regular Marine in Operation Desert Storm ready to die for his country. After finding out that his wife and child had been murdered in his home country, well he was understandably devastated and lost faith in what he was doing.

He was sent back to the mainland to recover and deal with his wife’s death. He planned to bury her and then return to the frontlines as he didn’t know what else to do. To say things didn’t go as he expected was an understatement. 

First, his dad brought some floozy to the funeral. He couldn’t believe the nerve of his father, but even worse than that Shannon had changed her will. He had no idea when she’d done so, but apparently she now expected him to pick up her charity work. 

He had no idea what she was thinking nor what had happened to cause her to change her will like this. Still he was willing to try anything for his wife. Her final letter asked him to work with the charity for a month and after a month if he hated it then he could quit. 

Gibbs almost quit on his first day as he realized that his father worked there too. Still he was nothing if not stubborn. He would complete the task his wife set forth for him despite his father. 

After the month was up, he would then leave triumphant; having completed his task. At least, that was the plan. It didn’t quite work out that way. 

He couldn’t put his finger on what it was exactly, but somehow helping others made him feel better. The charity ran a soup kitchen and while steak wasn’t on the menu, Gibbs was able to help out in other ways. He made the children toys and served food to everyone.

He wasn’t much of a talker, but it didn’t seem to matter. A lot of the people were just happy to have an ear to listen to them, including a green eyed man about fifteen years younger than him. Gibbs didn’t understand Tony. The guy was down on his luck because his father had swept through town and bankrupted him again and yet he was still so happy. 

He had less than Gibbs did, actually needing the food from the soup kitchen, but he was the one who made Gibbs smile. Tony’s winsome grin never failed to brighten Gibbs’ day. It was actually Tony that taught Gibbs that giving for giving is the only way to live and the only way to love.

By the time the month was up, there was no way Gibbs would stop working with the charity. Maybe Shannon knew him better than he thought when she left this last request. Regardless, he was thankful to her for the new happiness in his life and wouldn’t change a thing.

With Tony around, Gibbs could give of himself freely. Not only did giving give him joy, but when Tony found out about what Gibbs did he would provide his own reward for Gibbs. It was damn near close to perfect.

Their relationship was even better than his and Shannon's. Gibbs knew then and there that a love that wasn't given freely was no love at all. After having experienced this with Tony there was no way he'd ever be happy settling for less.

It was a good thing that Tony seemed to feel the same way he did. They shared a smile as they worked the charity and soup kitchen side by side. The rest of their lives awaited them, together, and they couldn't wait.

**Author's Note:**

> The dictionary.com series has no stories already written for it after this one, so I will be posting at least no more stories before I stop posting again. I'm hoping to get more stories written before then, so that I don't stop posting for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to get more written before then, but who knows. 
> 
> It's 2019 now and I have closed my 2018 Prompt collection, but fear not my 2019 Prompt Collection is now open [here](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/cutsycat_NCIS_Prompts_2019/profile). Just click the sign up link. ;) It will remain open until the beginning of 2020. I'm hoping to complete all the 2019 prompts by the end of 2020. Do not fear I have not forgotten about the 2018 prompts and will continue working through them. It's just easier for me to not get overwhelmed if I keep the prompts separated by the year they were given to me.
> 
> If you are not an ao3 member, you can prompt me [here](http://cutsycat.livejournal.com/50701.html). Please follow the same rules as are listed in the above link. However, because this is a handmade prompt form(that thinks it's a poll), it is considerably more limited than what ao3 provides, so please use the ao3 form if you're an ao3 member. Please note the name option is for a name that I can say this is for so that you know it's for you. Since this is for non ao3 members it won't be true gifts, but you will be mentioned in the notes. Please note if you have already voted in the poll and would like to request more stories you can just add a comment to the poll. Please include the name along with the prompt, so that I can appropriately gift the prompt to you.
> 
> For any authors that want to chat and/or are looking for a place where they can toss plot ideas around and get input from people, you can come join my discord server that is specifically geared towards writing/encouraging people to write and authors. The invite link is [here](https://discord.gg/HFvwpCq). If you're not an author, but want to chat with me about writing/stories or anything else you are welcome to join. I reserve the right to boot you from my server if all you do is pester me about updates, however. *grin* Really anyone who wants to talk about writing and/or plot ideas for various stories is welcome to join. 
> 
> I do not currently have a discord dedicated to my stories. If anyone would be interested in joining a group chat server that is focused on my stories please comment below. Also, if you would like such a thing what kind of things would you like to know about? Please share those with me.
> 
> Also, Drakonyashka has translated a couple of my works into Russian. [Tutelage](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378780) and [Imbue](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12378840). Go support them. 


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